2024-25 12th Grade Vocab - 60 Words

ambiguous

unclear; open to more than one interpretation

acrimony

ill-will; hostility; bitterness

abate

to reduce, diminish

arcane

understood by few; mysterious or secret

acumen

keen insight; shrewdness

alacrity

a cheerful readiness; brisk and eager action

banal

so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring

boon

a timely benefit; a blessing

brevity

briefness; short duration; conciseness

bias

prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

bourgeois

of or characteristic of the upper/middle class, typically with reference to its perceived materialistic values or conventional attitudes.

cerebral

intellectual

clandestine

(adj.) secret, concealed; underhanded

camaraderie

mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together

candor

truthfulness; sincere honesty

digress

to stray from the main topic in speech or writing

denounce

publicly declare to be wrong or evil

disparage

to degrade, to speak of someone or something in a derogatory manner

deplorable

shockingly bad; deserving strong condemnation

dubious

doubtful; of unlikely authenticity

exacerbate

to make worse or more severe

eclectic

made up of a variety of sources or styles

eccentric

unconventional and slightly strange

emphatic

showing or giving emphasis; expressing something forcibly and clearly

egregious

outstandingly bad

fastidious

very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail

facetious

humorous, not meant seriously

facade

a deceptive outward appearance; a misrepresentation; OR, the front of a building

equanimity

calmness, composure, refusal to panic

glib

ready and fluent in speech; thoughtless, insincere

germane

relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting

formidable

inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable

gregarious

outgoing; sociable

gratuitous

freely given; not called for by circumstances, unwarranted

innocuous

(adj.) harmless, inoffensive; insignificant

inscrutable

difficult to understand

largesse

generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions

languid

slow, sluggish, listless, weak

mitigate

make less severe, serious, or painful

myriad

(adj.) in very great numbers; (n.) a very great number

nuance

something subtle; a fine shade of meaning

niche

specialized, uncommon; or the right fit/place for a person

obsequious

obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree

quotidian

everyday; commonplace

quixotic

exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical

recidivism

a repetition of or return to criminal behavior

specious

(adj.) deceptive, apparently good or valid but lacking real merit

spurious

not genuine, not true, not valid

saccharine

excessively sweet or sentimental

sycophant

a flatterer; one who fawns on others in order to gain favor

taciturn

(adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little

transient

(adj.) lasting only a short time, fleeting; (n.) one who stays only a short time

utilitarian

designed to be useful or practical rather than attractive

wan

sickly pale

obfuscate

deliberately make something difficult to understand

prescient

having or showing knowledge of events before they take place

panacea

a remedy for all ills; cure-all; an answer to all problems

raconteur

witty, skillful storyteller

homage

Honor or respect shown publicly

harangue

a lengthy and aggressive speech